Cesar Iriarte, Mangawhai HeadsMember Since September 2008Artist Statement Cesar Iriarte is a conceptual artist working in the digital realm. Hiswork unfolds in series composed of elaborate imagery that radiate froman overarching idea. His varied work pleases the eye and stimulates thesenses while engaging the mind—simultaneously. At its core, his workintends to illuminate, by forging connections between the ordinary andthe esoteric; and by exploring perception, metaphysics, and otherabstract ideas not visible to the naked eye.

For some viewers, the complex ideas driving the work may be secondary tothe sheer visual pleasure of the lively colors, dazzling geometricpatterns, and subtle collages of organic imagery. But the work has anundeniably cerebral quality. “I think because the work operates on multiplelevels, it also serves multiple functions,” he says. “My work is therefor the mind and the eye.”

Cesar’s latest project is called “Search for Te Opuaraa” (SFTO). As inprevious large-scale concepts of his, it is based around a centraltheme, “to follow your bliss be in the now”—per mythologist JosephCampbell’s work. From this theme, a wealth of visual metaphors andsub-themes emerge. One of SFTOP’s series is called “Evolving Fractals,Waves & Patterns,” and includes more than a hundred images of the namedphenomena—which are all individual representations of the central theme.

The idea for SFTO was inspired by Cesar’s love of surfing, which for himis no mere recreation, but the basis of a living cosmology. “‘To followyour bliss be in the now’ means paying attention to everything aroundyou, and in everything, surfer that I am, I see waves,” he says. “Thefractal parallels the pattern form, in that it’s a microcosm, or smallerversion of a larger thing. Fractals and patterns—which visually,materially, are essentially waves—relate to human life in ways that aredefinitely not just symbolic.”

Another SFTO series called “Code Zero Space” alternates betweenabstraction and hyper-digital styles, and delves into the meaning of “bein the now.” As in Cesar’s previous works, each image within this serieshas the potency to satisfy on its own, while simultaneously underscoringthe idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Cesar is an aesthetic entrepreneur whose artwork is as industrious as itis idea-fueled and visually intricate. It’s no coincidence that digitaltechnology figures prominently in his art—as an overt theme or subtext,and as a means of production.

Cesar operates well outside the commercial/institutional structures ofthe traditional art world, embracing the independence offered by athriving network of like-minded artists and art-buyers. Architects,corporate art buyers, and interior designers have responded favorably toCesar’s work, finding that it complements certain spaces dramatically.The technology that fuels his art has also made it quite versatile; mostof his current work can be customized to accommodate most projects.